After The Ending
by ElphieNeedsAHug
Summary: Elphaba sends Glinda a message in the night, and Glinda decides to give Elphaba what she really deserved. Post-musical. Gelphie friendship and moderate Fiyeraba. Previously known as "Straightening Things Out".
1. The Message

**A/N: This is my first ever Fanfic, so please go easy on me! Constructive criticism is appreciated! Just so you know, in this story, Elphaba is allergic to water. Not mortally allergic to water, just allergic. It's still musical-verse though! I don't own the amazing art that is Wicked the Musical (duh).**

Elphaba lay awake in her bed, staring at the dark, wooden ceiling, as she had done many times over the last few weeks. She heard a clock ring in the distance. One, two, three chimes. Three o'clock in the morning, and she had barely gotten a wink of sleep. She sighed. Giving up all attempts to get back to sleep, she slowly inched herself out of bed and up on her feet. She tiptoed to the window as quietly as she could, as not to wake Fiyero.

The green girl sat at the window and rested her head on her hands, staring up at the stars far above her. Just like she did that night after the lion cub incident… back at Shiz… back in Oz…

 _Oh, don't think like that again, Elphaba! You never belonged in Oz anyway, why should you be longing for it now?_ She wiped the small grin that had creeped onto her face away and buried her face in her arms. The memories of Oz seemed to push at the back of her mind at all times, and nothing could distract her from the feeling of emptiness in the pit of her stomach.

 _Stop it! You can't go back, you know you can't! Now just stop thinking about it!_ She repeated this same sentence over and over again every night, but it never changed anything. Even if most of her time spent in Oz was spent being hated, neglected, or laughed at, there were some good moments. Like that night at the OzDust where she became friends with Glinda, and she tried to make Elphaba popular with mounds of makeup and dresses. Then the day they spent in the Emerald City, where Glinda insisted that they go to see everything and do everything…

Glinda. Almost every good memory she had of Oz had _something_ to do with Glinda, and now she was never to see her again. Without Glinda, well, Elphaba didn't know what she would have done. She had been her only friend, and only person who really understood her besides Fiyero. And now she was back in Oz with the belief that Elphaba and Fiyero were dead! Elphaba felt terrible. She wished there was something she could do. Anything that she could do to tell Glinda that she was alright without giving Fiyero and herself away…

Then it clicked. Fiyero's letter! Of course! She rushed to the kitchen to get everything that she needed. _Maybe I can finally get a good night's sleep for once_ , she thought with a grin.


	2. The Discovery

Elphaba wasn't the only one lying awake that night. Glinda the Good tossed and turned restlessly in her frilly pink bed that seemed much too big to be allowed. Thoughts and grief mingled in her mind and heart. Not the best combination.

 _I wish there was something I could have done_. She thought for the one millionth time that week. _It was her choice_. A very truthful part of her told Glinda. _She was fed up with being hated by the whole world, she blamed herself for Doctor Dillamond, Nessa, and Fiyero, so she decided to end it all_. This thought did not comfort Glinda, as it had failed to do so many times in the past. _Then I should have been there for her, instead of quarreling with her over a silly boy crush_.

This was one statement that the honest part of her couldn't deny, for it was as truthful as you could get. With a half-groan, half-sob, she rolled herself off the bed and onto her feet. She tip-toed over to the giant bay window and sat on the window seat piled with velvet cushions and pillows, wondering where Elphie was. Like everything else in the room, the window was grandly decorated with jewels of every size, shape, and color, seemed larger than life itself, and was completely and utterly pink from top to bottom.

Glinda pictured what Elphaba's reaction would be if she ever saw this room. A small grin creeped up her cheeks, replaced with grief stricken sobs, remembering the time she had spent with Elphie during their time at Shiz University together. She never deserved what she got, and Glinda knew that more than anything. She just wished that she had time to apologize for how she had treated Elphaba when she had the chance. Now she was dead, after a life of being hated by everyone she knew, and blaming herself for every death that came upon her loved ones.

Glinda felt more horrible than she thought possible. She wished with all her heart that there was something… _anything_ that she could do to repay Elphaba for all that she had taught her.

 _Thump Thump_! There was a knock on… the window? The sound burst Glinda's bubble of thought and she looked up to see a huge pair of leathery wings. Leathery wings and brown, bristly fur. _Chistery._

Glinda nearly jumped out of her dress to see him, leave alone this late at night. She tinkered with the window until she was able to push it open enough for the small winged monkey to slip in.

He had obviously been flying for a long time, for the moment he squeezed into the huge bedroom he collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Chistery! A-are you okay? I-I-" Glinda mind had virtually stopped working. She couldn't fully comprehend that she was even seeing the monkey that was lying there. Oz, she was still processing Elphaba's demise, but the monkey flying in at three o'clock in the morning was much, much more than her brain was capable - or willing to - sort out.

"W-w-what are you doing here?" Glinda finally was able to stutter.

"Ch-ch-chistery had c-c-come with a m-m-message for M-m-miss G-g-glinda!" Chistery squeaked. He had plainly not gotten the hang of talking since being with the Wizard, for he was stuttering so badly that Glinda could barely make out what he was saying.

"A message? For me?" Glinda asked, curiously. _Who would want to send me a message this late at night?_ She thought. _Oz, who would send me a message using Chistery, anyway?_

"Y-yes, M-m-miss G-g-glinda! Y-you m-must not t-t-tell anyone of it!" Chistery stuttered. Glinda felt sorry for him. He seemed so frightened! _He must not be used to not having a master anymore_. Glinda thought.

"Why shouldn't I? Who is this message from anyway?" Glinda asked, trying to sound as comforting as she was able to, but it did not affect Chistery's fright, for he looked up at her as intimidated by her as ever.

"Y-you m-must not t-t-tell anyone!" he squeaked.

"Of course not! Now who is it?" Glinda said, starting to get impatient.

"M-m-m-miss El-Elphaba!" Chistery squeaked, overwhelmed. "Sh-sh-she's alive!"

Glinda gasped and slowly sank onto her bed, letting the words sink in.

"Alive? Elphaba? But… how? How did she survive? What did she tell you?" Glinda questioned, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"Ch-ch-chistery d-d-doesn't kn-kn-know! Ch-chistery doesn't know! Sh-sh-she did not t-t-tell Ch-ch-chistery! Sh-sh…" The monkey's voice faded away and he scooted away from her and cowered against the opposite wall. Glinda now fully understood his fright. All of these events had occurred so fast from his perspective that it must have been a lot for his small monkey brain to process at the moment.

Glinda got up from the bed and crouched down in front of Chistery so that she was almost his height. Wordlessly, she reached for the scroll of parchment that he clutched in one paw, hoping that it held the answers to her never-ending list of questions so she didn't have to overwhelm Chistery with any more of them. He handed her the scroll, then quickly retracted his hand, like just touching her would burn his fur off.

Glinda patted him on the head and walked back over to her bed to let Chistery calm down a little. She sat with her legs folded on the bed and inspected the letter. It was fairly small - it's edges barely touched when it was rolled up - and nothing was holding it together. She unrolled it carefully, as if it was made of glass so thin that it would break at the slightest tug. The writing was most definitely Elphie's. Sensing no reason to delay any longer, she began to read.

My Dearest Glinda,

I'll just get to the point. Fiyero and I are alive and well, so there is no reason to worry. I can't tell you where we are, sadly, but I can assure you that we are far away from Oz. Don't let anyone see Chistery and BURN THIS LETTER IMMEDIATELY AFTER READING IT. DON'T LET ANYONE SEE THIS LETTER, and DO. NOT. GO. LOOKING. FOR. ME. Understand?

You're the best and ONLY friend I ever had, and I'll never forget you. Ever. Goodbye.

-Elphie

Glinda read the letter through again and again until the ink was running from her tears. She could almost hear Elphaba's voice speaking to her in her head.

 _Glinda, get a grip, girl! She's alive, right? That's all that matters!_ Glinda thought. But even though she found comfort in Elphaba's words, even though Elphaba's letter brought light into her dark, grieving world, she still felt like she owed her something. She just couldn't rest knowing that Elphaba would have to live the rest of her life in hiding while the rest of Oz thought she was dead. She just couldn't.

With a plan forming in her mind, she made for the door, then turned around. Chistery was still pressed up against the wall, trying to wrap his furry head around everything that had just happened in the last two weeks. Glinda walked over to him and petted him comfortingly on the head.

"You can stay here with me if you'd like," she whispered comfortingly to him, "Just make sure no one sees you." Chistery nodded happily at her, clearly relieved to have somewhere sheltered to stay. Glinda smiled and walked back out of the room. Elphaba was alive, and she was not going to have to live with the ending that the Wizard made for her. She was getting the right one. Glinda would make sure of that.


	3. The Plan

**A/N #2: So, at first I had everything written down ahead of time and I was going to post it all at the same time, but then my internet majorly crashed on me and I decided to wait a day. The wait time gave me time to think, and time for people to review (people have already reviewed! No seriously, my mind is blown. Thank you!). In that thinking time, I decided to scratch the rest of the story and write it with more excitement. If anyone wants to read the ending to the original, review and tell me! Elphaba does crazy karate moves! Until then, I give the revised and hopefully more awesome rest of Straightening Things Out:**

Glinda marched down the hall with purpose, happy to have something to concentrate on after weeks of nothing for her mind to process besides grief.

 _This must be what Elphie felt like when she worked to help the Animals._ Glinda though as she nodded her head in greeting to a passing servant. The determination that burned in her heart almost surprised her. There was a strange exhilaration to it.

"Ah! Miss Glinda!" a gruff voice popped her pink bubble of thought. Glinda whipped her head around to see who had spoken. A big, burly man in a emerald green guard uniform stood in before her.

"Biduur! What a pleasant surprise!" Glinda had to tilt her head as far back as possible to look him in the eye. Biduur kneeled down so he was about a head shorter than she was and took her hand, kissing the back of it. School-girl Galinda would have responded by immediately tossing her hair behind her and giggling flirtatiously, but now, Glinda just nodded with the ghost of a smile. She was used to this treatment by this point. Besides, she had more important things on her mind than popularity. The guard looked back up at her and spoke again, not getting up from his kneeling position. Glinda could see his "Captain of the Guard" badge peeking from behind a fold in his jacket.

"Where are you going so early in the morning? Surely you don't have another meeting with the Mayor of the Gillikin at this hour!" Glinda paused. Where was she going? She had been so caught up in the excitement of her new found determination that she hadn't even stopped to think about where to go or what to do first. She could almost see her best friend's eyes rolling at her stupidity.

"Er... I was just... headed to fetch a little snack from the kitchens. I might have to miss breakfast due to... important issues," Glinda stuttered, hoping that her quick lie would suffice in fooling the captain.

"Oh, of course! Would you like me to escort you?" Biduur asked, getting up again and extending his hand. Glinda could have slapped herself. She should have seen this coming! _How was Elphie so good at this?_

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary!" Glinda said, a bit too hurriedly. "I wouldn't want to waste your time. As 'Captain of the Guard' you must have many more important things to do!" she added, seeing his suspicious look, which vanished instantly.

"It would be no problem at all! Come with me," he said taking her hand in his. Glinda could think of no other option but to follow him. _Darn this high position._ Glinda though, suddenly wishing she had as much freedom as Elphaba did, flying all over Oz on her broomstick.

Biduur started a conversation, but Glinda was barely listening, only hearing little bits about "those Oz darn Winkies always rebelling against everything," and, "all them Munchkins being too shy to speak up about anything." Glinda decided to take this time to plan out what she was to do about Elphaba. She definitely couldn't send guards out to find her, that was for certain. To Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West had to be dead. For now. That was the only way her plan would work.

But to convince Oz of Elphaba's innocence, that was a different story. She couldn't just throw everything on them all at once. That would cause people to become overwhelmed and confused. People being overwhelmed and confused caused havoc. That wouldn't do either. No, she would have to ease the information onto them. She had to make them believe while keeping everything calm. _Oz,_ she thought, _this is like some school project with too many rules!_

By the time she and Biduur had gotten to the kitchens, she had a plan in mind, or at least the beginnings of one. She would start with freeing all the Animals first. By getting Oz to trust the Animals, she could get them to accept Elphaba easier. _Besides,_ she thought, _if I can't fix this whole mess, I can at least finish what Elphie started. She would be happy, right?_

Elphaba. What would she think? Glinda had promised her that she wouldn't try to clear her name, but she couldn't help it. People should not be hated for doing something good! It just wasn't right!

" _No! They'd only turn against you!"_ Glinda remembered Elphaba's words clearly. _Well then, so be it._ She thought. She decided she was willing to take the risk. She was going to clear her best friend's name no matter what it took.

 _And if something goes horribly wrong in the process,_ she decided, _then at least I can say that I tried._

"Miss?" Biduur popped her bubble of thought for the second time that morning. Glinda's eyes snapped up to see him standing there with a small bundle of food. She took it with a smile, trying to act like nothing was wrong, though she wasn't able to trick him a second time. He looked at her worriedly.

"Is something wrong? Would you like to take the day off today? I would be happy to cancel any appointments you have," he said, eager to help her.

"Yes, that would be fine, thank you," Glinda said with a genuine grateful tone. Biduur nodded politely.

"No worries, your goodness," he said and hustled away. Glinda went back to her suite for a much needed nap. All the thinking had tired her out.

 _How do you do it Elphie?_ She pondered, smiling slightly.

 **A/N #3: Review if you want to see Elphaba do karate! ( Or just because :P )**


	4. Bad Feelings

**A/N: Gosh, I have no time to even think about fanfiction what with all the end-of-school essays I have to write, but ideas were popping in my head and I had to write** _ **something**_ **down, so here's a sort-of-short third chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't know why I have to keep saying this, but just so I don't get into any trouble: No, I do own Wicked, and I don't know what made you think that.**

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Elphaba sat at the window, deep in thought. She knew that Glinda would appreciate knowing about her faked death, but she couldn't help but think that something would go wrong, and that her and Fiyero's safety was in peril.

"Fae, what are you thinking about now?" Elphaba felt Fiyero wrap his straw arms around her waist and sit beside her. "I haven't seen you this deep in thought since-" Fiyero caught himself. Neither him nor Elphaba spoke about their time in Oz since the day they left.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized, looking away.

"No," Elphaba said, "don't apologize. We have been hiding from our past or too long, Yero."

"So, you're saying," Fiyero said, slowly, "that we should get out hiding now?" Elphaba slapped him, playfully.

"You know I didn't mean that literally, brainless," Elphaba laughed.

"Oh," Fiyero said, "Then what did you mean?" Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"I mean, we should stop acting like it never happened! We can't keep running away from what happened before, you know," She looking at him earnestly.

"Hey, how come _your_ brain seemed to come out of all this intact, and I don't seem to have one?" Fiyero whined, scratching at his straw head.

"Well, I wasn't aware that you even had one in the first place!" Elphaba feigned shock with a laugh. Fiyero ignored that statement and held her to him.

"Is that it? That can't be the only thing on your mind!" Fiyero kissed Elphaba's ebony hair.

"Nope, that's it," Elphaba said, fiddling with a piece of straw sticking out of Fiyero's sleeve and trying to act carefree. Oz, she hated lying to Fiyero.

* * *

Biduur walked down the corridor after canceling every last one of Lady Glinda's appointments, thinking hard. Glinda had seemed like she had more than stress on her mind earlier that morning. Sure, she was new to this post, but she had seemed like she was hiding something. It was suspicious.

Biduur shook his head to clear it. _What am I thinking! Who in his right mind would even think to suspect someone like Lady Glinda to be up to something bad?_ Still, he just wanted to check if something was wrong. It wouldn't hurt, right? Turning on his heel, he started back over to the north side of the palace.

Biduur quietly hurried up the steps to Lady Glinda's suite and rapped quietly on the wooden door. Nothing. Slowly, he turned the handle and crept into the room. Opposite him was Glinda, sleeping peacefully on her giant bed, her blonde curls surrounding her like a lion's mane. Not wanting to wake her, he silently scanned the room for anything unusual.

Windows, a closet, a hanging picture of the Wizard, a dusty old book lying on the desk… Biduur did a double take. A huge, dusty, hardcover book lay open on the desk in the corner of the room. Biduur walked over to the desk to look at it more closely. The pages were yellowed and frayed, and the writing, if you could call it writing, swirled and shook under his gaze. There was no mistaking it. Even if he had never seen it, he had heard numerous stories of it. This was the legendary Grimmerie, last seen in the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Biduur almost audibly gasped. He didn't know how Glinda had gotten her hands on this book, but he knew it wasn't good. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he raced down flights and flights of staircases until he reached the very bottom floor, the dungeons.

He walked through the dark, damp halls lined with jail cells until he finally found the one he was looking for. Inside was an old lady wearing what might have once been elaborate clothes. Her blonde, almost white, hair stuck up on the top of her head and the make-up that was once applied carefully on her lips and cheeks was now smeared in most places, making her slightly resemble a fish. She looked up with a glare at Biduur's entrance.

"Madame, I have reason to believe that the Wicked Witch of the West is alive, as well as her companion, the previous Captain of the Guard," he said, hardly masking his excitement at being able to deliver this news. "I also have proof that Glinda the Good is in conspiracy with her, and I would like your help in the matter." Madame Morrible's lips curled up in a devious grin.

"Excellent," she said, softly. Biduur, glad to have impressed her, took a key out of his jacket pocket and inserted it in it's matching lock with a satisfying _click_.

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 **A/N #2: Yay! This story is actually going somewhere! Woot! Review if you want to see more! Your reviews give me ideas for the story!**


	5. Trouble and Hope

**A/N: Yes, I have been gone for a while, but if you read my other stories, you would know that I had put all my stories on a short hiatus until the school year ended. Now that it has, I will be updating my stories more regularly, so yay!**

 **Disclaimer: Let us be glad, let us be grateful! Let us rejoicify that I have not ruined Wicked by owning it!**

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"Fae? Fae? Elphaba!" Fiyero's voice popped Elphaba's bubble of thought for the sixth time that week. Elphaba's head shot towards Fiyero, looking sheepish. Fiyero eyed her.

"Fae, something is wrong. I don't care how much you're going to contradict me, but you cannot deny it completely. Something is wrong." They sat in silence for a minute, Elphaba panicking on the inside.

"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, nothing is wrong, Yero," Elphaba finally spoke up. She got up from her seat at their table and walked off towards their room, abandoning her cold breakfast. Fiyero got up to follow her.

"Then why are you always lost in thought? I know you like to think a lot, but this is different! You have that troubled look on your face, like when Nessa-" he stopped, knowing mentioning Nessa's death would only make things worse. He saw Elphaba grit her teeth, though she was still facing away from him.

"There is nothing wrong, Fiyero," she finally said, walking away. Fiyero followed her.

"Yes there is, don't lie to me, Elphaba." She was feeling worse by the second.

"Get off my case, Fiyero!" She was yelling now, speeding up her pace.

"No! Something's wrong!" Now Elphaba disregarded him entirely. "Is it that young man from the store? Did someone else steal your heart?" He was worried now. Elphaba finally turned around, smirking.

"Don't worry, my prince, my heart's yours," she started walking away again, but Fiyero wasn't giving up.

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing."

"It's something, Elphaba, don't hide from me."

"Fiyero, stop it!" Elphaba was really annoyed now.

"Come on, tell me!"

"Shut up, Fiyero!" They were in their room now. Elphaba was facing the back wall and Fiyero was in the doorway.

"Elphaba, what's wrong?"

"I said, it's NOTHING!" There was a flash of green light, a scream behind her. Elphaba froze, not daring to turn. She slowly turned her head, then spun around with a gasp. Fiyero lay on the floor, limp and lifeless.

* * *

Biduur walked down the streets of the Emerald City, observing the grocery stands set up in Emerald Square. Having been there all morning and not found anything of interest, he started towards the Emerald City palace when something caught his eye. Hung up on the side of _Ozian Hair and Dresses_ was a notice from Lady Glinda:

 **BY ORDER OF HER GOODNESS, LADY GLINDA OF OZ**

 **ALL ANIMALS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN OPPRESSED OR ABUSED IN ANY WAY DUE TO PROCLAMATION NUMBER 27 SET BY THE PREVIOUS WIZARD OF OZ WILL HENCEFORTH NOT BE FORCED TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES**

 **ALL SAID ANIMALS WILL BE TAKEN TO ANIMAL REHABILITATION CENTERS TO REGAIN THEIR POWER OF SPEECH AND CONSCIOUS THOUGHT**

 **THIS IS UNDER PROCLAMATION NUMBER 28 BY LADY GLINDA OF OZ**

Biduur re-read this many times before he fully processed what it meant. Knowing what he had to do, he ran off towards the palace, taking the proclamation with him.

He came to the guards at the front gate, who let him in immediately seeing he was in a hurry, and rushed into the great hall of the palace. He bent over to catch his breath and stayed there for a minute. Straightening up, he turned around to find who he needed to see, only to find himself face to face with her.

"Give me that!" Madame Morrible snatched the proclamation from the startled Captain of the Guard and placed it in front of her wrinkled face. She read through it so fast that her pupils zipped from left to right the speed of a broomstick. After every line, her eyebrows furrowed more and more until Biduur unintentionally stepped back due to the vicious scowl on her face.

Once she had finished reading through it a couple times, she looked like she was going to throw it on the wall. She probably would have, too, if not for the unexpected arrival.

"Madame Morrible! What… How…" Glinda came down the stairs at the far end of the hall looking stunned.

"Ah! Glinda, what a surprise!" Madame Morrible said, struggling to act warm and smile, though Biduur could tell that she would have rather slapped Glinda in the face, at the least.

"What, not happy to see your old headmistress out of prison?" Morrible said, acting more sickeningly sweet by the minute. Her fake grin looked more like a snarl with every word.

"Of course I'm plenty happy! I'm glad to see you've dealt with everything! It would be nice to have some help with… you know… things," Glinda stuttered, trying and failing to hide her fright. " I'm sorry, I have to run, though I hope to see you at dinner later!" Glinda said with a fake smile and wave. She ran off in the opposite direction, towards her room.

Biduur looked at Madame Morrible, not knowing what to think. The smile had slid off her face, replaced by her infamous scowl. She spoke in a low growl, still looking in the direction Glinda ran off.

"We are putting a stop to this, Biduur, and she is going to pay. Both of them are going to pay."

* * *

Glinda ran all the way to her suite and collapsed onto her bed, breathing hard and fast. _Elphie's in danger._ She thought. _Elphie is in grave danger, and I have to stop it._ Getting up from her bed, she gathered her thoughts. Somehow, Madame Morrible had found out about Elphaba, and now she, and perhaps Biduur too, were plotting against her. She had to warn her.

Springing into action, Glinda searched through her drawers frantically. Pulling out a pen and paper, she quickly scrawled a note to her friend, making sure it was a brief and concise as possible.

Elphie,

I didn't do anything. I swear I didn't do anything, but you are in danger! You have to move!

~Glin

After reading through it a few times to make sure no one else could decipher it, she folded it up and looked around the room, looking for Chistery. Finding him in a corner, as usual, she strode over to him and placed the note in his paw. He looked confused.

"You know where Elphaba lives, right?" Chistery nodded, starting to realize what was happening.

"She's in danger, and I need to give her this. Could you help me?" Ready to help his old master and friend, Chistery nodded bravely, taking the note and flying out the open window. He looked behind him right before taking off.

"Stay safe, and make sure you're not seen," Glinda said. Chistery saluted and leaped into the air. Glinda watched him leave, hoping for too many things. She hoped that he wouldn't be caught it get in trouble. She hoped Elphaba got and read the letter. She hoped that Elphaba would stay safe. She hoped that she could finish what Elphaba started.

She put her head in her hands. She had done what she could, now she could only hope. She hoped that that was enough.

* * *

Elphaba felt weeks of old pain and grief flood her heart, consuming her whole as it once had. Her breath came in shallow gasps.

"Fiyero?" Her voice cracked, it almost a whisper. There was no response.

"Fiyero!" She was yelling now. Still nothing. Her eyes stung with tears, though she was now familiar with the sensation. They didn't fall though. She couldn't believe it. After all they had been through…

"Fiyero!" She ran to his side and collapsed. She still didn't let the tears go. Not yet. She frantically put her head to his mouth and nose, then to his chest. Nothing. No signs of life anywhere.

She breathed heavily, not daring to believe it. She pressed his chest hard: nothing. She searched her mind for some sort of healing spell, but she had to draw a blank. This was it. _It was over._

"No, no, Fiyero, no, no, please, no!" She shook him hard, tears blurring her vision and burning her cheeks.

She suddenly heard something. A rip. Looking under her hands, she saw a long, deep rip in the cloth of Fiyero's clothes that went deep into his straw stuffing. There was something underneath, though. Carefully, tenderly, she pulled aside the straw and fabric to reveal another layer of fabric, this one pea green with brown straps wrapping over his shoulders. And underneath it was… human flesh.

Elphaba froze, then carefully tore some more straw away from the flesh, revealing more. Quickly, Elphaba tore the straw away from his chest to reveal more of the fabric and more flesh. She placed her ear on his chest. _Thump thump._ To her great relief, she heard the steady beating of his heart.

Elphaba let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She pulled the straw off of his face so that she could see his whole head, then whispered in his ear: "Fiyero, can you hear me?" To her delight, her Fiyero slowly opened his eyes and turned her head to look at her. He smiled. Then frowned, as if noticing something.

"Hey Fae? Why am I all itchy?" Elphaba chuckled, starting to pull of the rest of the straw. With each pull, she got more excited, seeing more and more the Fiyero she remembered from that night in the forest. Soon, Fiyero started helping too. In a few minutes, Elphaba looked up, seeing her Fiyero in flesh and blood again for the first time in weeks. Before she knew it, she found herself in his warm embrace, burying her face in his chest.

Fiyero stroked her dark hair and kissed the top of her head, happier than ever that her could hold her as tightly as he did back in the forest in Oz. The couple sat there for hours, just relishing the pure happiness that they had so rarely experienced in the last few years of their lives. They had both completely forgotten about the argument that had led up to that moment, as well as the topic that had started the argument. Well, for now.

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 **A/N: Reviews make my heart smile! 3**


	6. A Journey and an Arrow

**A/N: So, at first I couldn't think of any ideas for this story, and now I have too many!**

 **LifelongLeahstar: My condolences to your heart. I should hope that this chapter serves as sticky tape. It probably won't though. Actually, it might make it worse… Gosh darn it, sorry about that. If it makes anything better, I've figured out a way to incorporate the ending you made with the already existing ending, so that's cool, right? I swear, things will get better in this story. Just not now…**

 **And now, for the chapter:**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked, but I may be able to own the revival…**

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Fiyero burst into the cabin gasping for breath and looking worried. He looked around frantically.

"Elphaba! Elphaba where are you!" At the sound of his panicked voice, Elphaba rushed to the front door, struggling not to think the worst, though she couldn't help it after seeing Fiyero's frightened face.

"We have to move," he said, taking her arm and leading her to the back door. "It's not safe here anymore."

"Wh-what?" Elphaba pulled her arm out of Fiyero's grasp and looked at him. "What happened? How do you know?"

"There were Ozian guards marching through the streets of the town nearby, searching every building. I don't know if they're searching for you, or something else, but we have to move." Elphaba sunk down onto a sofa. _Busted._

"Elphaba, does this have something to do with what was wrong?" Elphaba slowly nodded. Fiyero put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Elphaba blurted out everything that she had done. Afterwards, she looked at Fiyero, biting her lip, waiting for him to start shouting, or something. He waited for a good long moment, then hugged her close. Elphaba was relieved at the act of forgiveness.

"I have to go see Glinda," she said softly, looking Fiyero in the eye again.

"You don't know if she's the one who sent the guards. She's much smarter than that."

"Still, I need to see her."

"No, _we_ need to see her," Fiyero corrected.

"It's too dangerous for both of us. Two people are easier to see than one."

"Fae, remember the last time you said it was too dangerous for me to come with you?" Elphaba closed her eyes.

"I'd rather not," she said.

"Exactly, so I'm coming with you."

"Well, then we'll have to split up. You go by foot, I'll go by air."

"But you don't have your broom!"

"I'll levitate another one, then. That was the only spell I memorized," Elphaba said matter-of-factly. She walked out of the room briefly and returned with an old broom that they had in a closet. She put it down and began chanting words that Fiyero couldn't begin to decipher.

Once she was done, she let the broom go and it hovered in mid-air. Even after years of knowing her, he still couldn't help but admire her magic when it was controlled. Elphaba plucked the broom from the air and turned to face Fiyero.

"What if one of us is in trouble?" Fiyero asked, still wishing that they could go together.

"If you're in trouble, I'll sense it. You know me," she said, pointing to her head.

"And you?" Fiyero asked.

"I've been on the run for more than two years, and I haven't really been caught, have I?" Elphaba reasoned.

"Well, no," Fiyero agreed. Elphaba kissed him on the nose.

"I'll stay safe. Don't worry," Elphaba said, reassuringly. She grabbed her cape and satchel from a hanger by the door and walked out out of cottage. Fiyero followed her.

Elphaba mounted the broom and looked behind her. "Stay hidden, okay?" Fiyero smiled.

"Don't worry, I will." Elphaba blew a quick kiss that was returned by Fiyero. Turning back around, Elphaba kicked off from the ground and soared into the sky. Fiyero watched her until she was a speck above the trees, then he ran off into the woods towards Oz and the Emerald City.

Unbeknownst by both, not a minute had passed before Chistery the winged monkey flew into the cottage to find nothing but funiture. No one to hand his letter to.

* * *

"They're _gone_!?" Glinda shrieked at the poor winged monkey. Chistery cowered in the corner of the room.

"Y-y-yes Miss G-g-Glinda!" Chistery whimpered, nodding frantically. Glinda sank slowly onto her bed, not knowing what to think. Had they moved so that she couldn't contact them again? Had they seen the danger coming and they ran away? Had the guards caught them before she could send them the letter? Glinda closed her eyes. Each possibility seemed as likely as then next.

So now what? She couldn't go to Madame Morrible because that would confirm that Elphaba was alive, so what would she do? Glinda pressed her palms to her eyes. At the moment, she couldn't think of anything. She just needed to make sure that Madame Morrible didn't hurt Elphaba, wherever she was.

* * *

"She's _what_?!" Madame Morrible screeched from her desk at the Captain of the Guard.

"As I said, we found no one suspicious within three miles of Oz," Biduur said calmly. "Perhaps we were wrong about the witch."

"No, she's alive," Madame Morrible said dangerously. "I questioned her death ever since it had happened. She is not dead, and I am not stopping until she is!" Morrible pounded her fist on the table, causing everything on it to jump in the air and crash back down again like a cartoon.

"Yes, Madame, of course," Biduur said, slyly. "But, if you don't mind me asking, how are we going to do that?" Madame Morrible didn't answer, just came around from behind the desk and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You're in charge," she said, "Don't let _anyone_ in the palace, understood?" Biduur nodded, taking Madame Morrible's place at the desk.

Madame Morrible walked briskly towards the entrance. _He won't have to keep anyone out if I can help it._

* * *

Elphaba flew over the dense forest that stretched for miles along the border or Oz. She could see the Emerald City palace looming in the distance. It tinted the sky around it a little green, making it pop up on the skyline. Elphaba flew towards it, trying her best to stay low to the trees. The topmost branches brushed her feet as she flew by.

Elphaba was actually kind of excited to be returning to Oz. It had been her home for about twenty two years, after all. It had also been the setting for twenty two years of misfortune and hatred directed at her, but it was human instinct to become excited when returning to your lifelong home.

At last coming to the edge of the forest, Elphaba could see the outskirts of a village in Quadling Country. She wrapped her black cloak around her, being careful to hide both her face and her broomstick from view. If she was lucky, she wouldn't be noticed. Taking a deep breath, she started her walk through the village.

If she remembered correctly from geography class at Shiz, the small villages in Quadling Country were scarcely populated and spread far apart from one another, which caused it to be one of the most peaceful countries in Oz. If she kept going straight north, she would only have to trek through two villages to reach the Emerald City. In between was a mile wide, fairly small mountain range that could easily and quickly be flown over. Once out of Quadling Country, she would fly over the small patch of woods into the Emerald City and sneak her way into the palace. None of that was particularly difficult so long as she did it under the cover of darkness, she she had to hurry.

She had cleared both villages in Quadling and was flying over the woods just inside the Emerald City border when she noticed that the sky was turning considerably lighter in color towards the east. She knew she had about two hours at most to get to the palace. She urged the broom to go faster, seeing the palace grow bigger and bigger in front of her. Seeing it so close again caused her heart to race with excitement once more.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the trees below Elphaba. Caught unaware, she tried to swerve out of the way. The arrow skimmed her arm, leaving a deep gash in her green skin. From that gash spread a numbing sensation, neither painful nor pleasant. Her hands let go of the broom and she tumbled down into the vegetation. She vaguely heard tree branches snapping as she fell. Not able to regain control of her body, she hit one branch after another, each one leaving it's own scratch on her face. She heard a faint cackling.

The world turned black before she hit the ground.

* * *

 **A/N #2: Well, I'm sorry if cliff-hangers are fun to write!**

 **Anyhoo, my knowledge on Ozian geography is limited, so I did the best I could looking at a map of Oz. There isn't actually a patch of woods between Quadling Country and the Emerald City, but it serviced the plot, so let's pretend there is.**

 **Reviews make my heart smile! 3**


	7. Foiled Plans

**A/N: I just made the huge mistake of listening to the Hamilton soundtrack in the order: Dear Theodosia; It's Quiet Uptown; Blow Us All Away; Stay Alive (reprise). Do Not Do That. I REPEAT: Do. Not. Do. That. Dire Consequences.**

 **Anyway, wrong musical…**

 **GoldenHydrangea: Well, Elphaba got from "the wizard made her give monkeys wings so they can be spies" to "the wizard is behind the Animals losing their power of speech." Also, the Ozians got from "the wicked witch is green and gave monkeys wings" to "she has an extra eye that always remains awake, she can shed her skin like a snake, and water can melt her," And there is more if you think about it. That's one way to explain it, but it could also be because it made more sense when I read it. :P Also, I like your username!**

 **Yeah, I never realized how fun it was to write cliffhangers and see your guy's reactions! There will most likely be more cliffhangers in that case. *grins evilly***

 **Disclaimer: Stephen Schwartz and Gregory Maguire would be very offended and insulted to know that you think that** _ **I**_ **own Wicked. Oh, you don't? Good! You're not stupid!**

* * *

The way to the Emerald City from outside the southern border by foot was much harder and slower than the way by broomstick. From his time in the Gale Force, Fiyero knew a safer way to the Emerald City than the one he knew Elphaba was taking - which was no doubt the most direct way possible that went over numerous mountains and forests - but it was more round-a-bout and therefore would take him around two days at the least.

Exhausted, he leaned against a tall quoxwood tree after about a day of walking through the dense forest. He knew this trail very well and had walked it countless times, but so had the rest of the patrolling Gale Force. Fiyero could tell that the guard throughout Oz had lessened greatly since Elphaba had faked her death, but it didn't stop completely, so he had to keep on his toes. The moment he heard the footsteps or voices of a patrol troop, he dove out of sight. Because of this he hadn't had a chance to rest at all for the past day. Now though, he couldn't help it.

 _It will only be for a few minutes._ He told himself. _I'll be going again soon._ He sat with his back against the tree, wondering how Elphaba had managed this for two years straight. Sure she had her broom, but there had been much more security around Oz during her time as the Witch of the West. Fiyero shook her head in amazement. That was the strongest girl in Oz, and he had somehow managed to win her affection. How he did it, he had no idea.

" _Yero, get some rest, you can barely stand up now that you're human again," Elphaba said, helping him to his feet._

" _Fae, I'm fine really! I feel great!" Fiyero said. The next moment Elphaba had to catch Fiyero before he went tumbling to the ground._

" _Yero, really. In bed. Now," Elphaba said sternly, holding him up with one arm and pointing to the bed with another._

" _Ok_ mom _," Fiyero said sarcastically, though he was grinning. Elphaba grinned back while Fiyero crawled into bed. She pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead._

" _Fae?"_

" _Hmm?" Fiyero held out both arms with a lopsided grin. Smiling more broadly than before, Elphaba slid under the covers next to him and rested her head on his chest, for the first time in weeks feeling the steady beat of his heart. Fiyero wrapped his arms around the green girl and kissed her softly. In a few minutes, they were fast asleep in each other's arms, perfectly peaceful like there was nothing in their past that could harm them. No problems whatsoever. Just them in each other's arms._

Fiyero didn't know what had stirred the memory. It had been so peaceful then, and now they were on the verge of another fight for their lives. Worst of all, they had no idea if they would win. Elphaba told Fiyero one day that the best part about a book was that you could close it at any time. He had no clue back then how much he would want to close his book now. His, Elphaba's, and Glinda's. They could go to safety and forget about their story and leave this book untouched.

But they couldn't do that. Not yet. He knew what he had signed up for when he went with Elphaba that night in the wizard's chamber, and he wasn't backing out. He never would. For Elphaba.

 _Where is she now?_ He wondered. By now she should be at the palace with Glinda. Was she worried about him? She knew that he would be way behind her, so she shouldn't be.

 _But should_ I _be worried?_ What if something happened to her? What if the guards caught her? Or worse…

"Hey you!" Fiyero jumped and ran into the shadows of the forest. He had been so deep in thought that she didn't notice the wagon pull up on the trail. _Dang, now look what you've gotten into._ Fiyero held his breath, hoping that the man on the wagon would let it go.

"Come on out! I'm not gonna bite!" The man called out, chuckling at his own joke. Fiyero cautiously poked his head around the tree he had been leaning against just a few minutes ago. He saw the man wave for him to come forward. After a moment's hesitation, Fiyero stepped out into the open, just far enough so that they could see each other well enough.

"What do you want?" Fiyero asked, sounding less confident than he wanted to. The man chuckled. At a closer look. Fiyero saw that the man was actually a Raccoon. He had on a worn out vest that frayed at the sleeves and a straw hat.

"I just wanted to ask what you were doing on the trail. Most people take the train," the Raccoon said. Fiyero had, in fact, considered taking the train, but he didn't want to risk getting discovered.

"I, um, don't trust the public transport," Fiyero lied, hoping that would suffice.

"Understandable," the Raccoon chuckled, "Even after the Wicked Witch died, you can never be too careful!" Fiyero had to suppress a grimace at that. "So, where you off to?"

"The Emerald City," Fiyero said shortly, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake in telling him.

"Well, I'm going there now!" the Raccoon said. "You want a ride?" Fiyero hesitated once more.

"Do I have to pay?" he asked.

"Of course not!" the Raccoon said. "Hop right in the wagon!" Fiyero thought this over, but finally decided that no Animal would be very friendly with the government at the moment, and therefore couldn't harm him.

He climbed up into the wagon to find a small team of Gale Force members in front of him, all pointing their rifles in his direction, and all with identical smirks on their faces.

"Hello, _Captain_ ," one whispered menacingly, putting a heavy sarcastic tone on the word. Fiyero smiled so nervously it was more like a grimace. _Sweet Oz, I'm as good as dead._ Not wasting anymore time, he dashed out of the wagon and into the forest, hearing a gunshot ring in his ears.

* * *

 **A/N #2: I swear, I wasn't planning to leave another cliffhanger in this chapter! Really! It just... came into my head! I was going to write: He climbed into the wagon to find piles of different varieties of baked goods and pastries, but then this came into my mind and I couldn't let it go!**

 **Also, this chapter was going to continue and switch to Elphaba, but it was getting long, so I'm giving you a double chapter, because I don't want you to be left with two cliffhangers. I'm not** _ **that**_ **mean.**

 **Me: *crying***

 **Elphaba: What happened?**

 **Me: I listened to "Stay Alive reprise" again!**

 **Elphaba: Cry-baby.**

 **Me: *slaps Elphaba***

 **Elphaba *cackles* Feel better now?**

 **Me: Actually, yes I do.**

 **Fiyero: My Fae is a genius!**


	8. Accepting

**A/N: Second part of the double chapter!**

 **Ok, since I have nothing to say here, I want to take this time to thank all the people on this website. This is my first fic and you guys have been very encouraging and have never said anything that was just plain mean. All of you have been very nice and welcoming to me and it makes my heart smile to know that there is somewhere where people act like I feel people should: kind and helpful. In a world of war, terrorists, and bullying, this is like an oasis in the desert. I should hope that more of the world starts acting like you guys do. Until then, keep doing what you're doing. You guys are awesome! :D**

 **Okay, to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't have nearly enough money to buy Wicked, so I don't own it. There. I said it.**

* * *

The cold, hard ground pressed against her whole, aching body. Her head felt like it was going to split open and there was an unbearable pain in her arm, right underneath her shoulder.

"Elphie? Elphaba!" she faintly heard a squeaky, girly voice calling a name. Whose name was that?

 _Oh right, it's mine._ Elphaba thought, feeling incredibly stupid. But what happened? She search her mind to recall what had gotten her here, wherever here was.

She remembered flying to Oz on her broomstick. She had to see Glinda. She remembered as far as that, but then what?

As her arm gave a particularly painful throb, it came back to her in a huge rush.

"Elphaba, are you awake?" Now knowing what had happened, Elphaba connected the dots to the voice speaking to her. The person who had thrown the arrow must have been part of the Gale Force or related to the government. So if some guard had shot her down, he would have taken her to the palace dungeons. If she was below the palace, the person must be…

"Glinda?" Elphaba croaked. She coughed softly and, with some effort, pulled her eyes open. In front of her was the blurry figure of a small blonde with sparkles everywhere. Definitely Glinda.

"Elphie, you're alive!" Glinda practically squealed. After blinking for a bit, Elphaba could see Glinda's brilliant smile almost clearly. Not the smile that she gave to all the Ozians when she made her speeches, but the real smile that she reserved only for Elphaba. Elphaba managed a smile back.

"I thought I already told you that," Elphaba replied, jokingly.

"Well, they brought you in here and you looked dead!" Glinda insisted.

"Hello to you too, Glinda" Elphaba laughed, trying to push herself up onto her elbows. Taking a good look around, Elphaba's suspicions were correct. She was indeed in the dungeons. As far as she could see, she was the only one in any of the cells.

"How long have I been out?" Elphaba asked, still examining her setting.

"Almost two days," Glinda said. Elphaba suddenly understood why the blonde had thought she was dead. "Madame Morrible had shot you with one of her bewitched arrows. If they hit you, you die instantly. We should both be glad that it only scratched you" Elphaba was only half-listening to the last part, though. Something had hit her.

"Glinda, have you seen Fiyero?" Elphaba asked nervously.

"What? No, why?" Glinda could see the fear in Elphaba's almost black eyes.

"We were both coming to see you because there were guards patrolling every house in the village we lived in. We escaped before they caught us," Elphaba said.

"That's why Chistery couldn't find you guys when I sent you a letter about the danger," Glinda realized out loud.

"Yeah. We decided to come to you because something was obviously off. I went using my broomstick and Fiyero went by foot."

"Well, walking the whole way would take much longer than broomstick," Glinda reasoned.

"Yes, but even so, he should be here by now!" Elphaba said getting more worried by the second.

"Elphie, don't worry! He was in the Gale Force for two years, he can fight for himself!" Glinda comforted, reaching her hand through the bars to put her hands on her shoulders.

"How do you know?" Elphaba asked, more angrily than she had hoped, "For all you know, Fiyero is still a scarecrow!"

"Wait, he's a scarecrow?" Glinda looked confused. Elphaba realized that Glinda never knew how Fiyero survived.

"He was. Apparently I had turned him into that scarecrow that was with the farm brat when I was trying to save his life. I turned him back a few days ago, though."

"Oh. That makes sense," Glinda said, comprehension dawning on her face. "Well, I need to tell you a few things, but we should probably get you out of here first," Glinda said, standing up. "Should I go get the Grimmerie?"

"Yeah," Elphaba said. She watched her run up the stairs and out of the dungeons. A few minutes later she returned with a large, thick book in her hands. The gold that had once bordered every page had now worn away in most places, leaving splotches of gold along the sides. Glinda silently handed her friend the spell book, knowing that it was best that the blonde herself didn't perform the spell.

In a few seconds, the door was open. Glinda let out her hand and Elphaba took it, letting Glinda pull her up.

"Wait just a clock tick," Elphaba said. She took the Grimmerie and flipped it's pages until she had found the right page. Clearing her throat, she started chanting again. Glinda watched, perplexed, as the chanting ceased and her friend vanished before her eyes.

"Elphie?" Glinda reached out into the place where Elphaba had been and found that she could still feel the green girl.

"I'm right here, Glin," Elphaba said. Glinda could feel her invisible friend grab her hand and squeeze it. Glinda nodded and let go, knowing what Elphaba was doing.

The two girls walked up the guards at the entrance, though it appeared that it was just Glinda.

"Good day, Lady Glinda!" One of the guards said. Elphaba was almost surprised to hear that it belonged to a girl. Not many women were allowed into the Gale Force. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hello Eslaasa," Glinda returned the greeting, struggling a little on the Ugabun name. "I'd just like to go on a quick walk around the city to see how things are going."

"Oh yes, of course!" she said, "But wouldn't you rather take your bubble?" Eslaasa asked, confused.

"Well, everyone needs a bit of exercise once and awhile!" Glinda said cheerfully.

"Oh yes, of course," the young woman said, opening the gates. Do you want someone to escort you?"

No, that won't be necessary!" Glinda said, a bit too hurriedly. She walked out of the palace. "Good day, Eslaasa!" Elphaba silently followed her out the door. Once the two were out of sight earshot, they ducked into an alleyway.

"So," Elphaba said, becoming visible again, "fill me in."

"Well, I set a law that undid all the laws that the wizard set when he was here," Glinda started.

"When he was here?"

"I made him leave Oz after you, well, melted, I guess. Then I sent Madame Morrible to prison for life, but somehow she got bailed out. Now she's undid the undoing." Elphaba almost smirked at this. "I think she even enforced the Wizard's old laws even further!" Elphaba listened to this, getting more shocked by the minute.

"Somehow she found out you and Fiyero were still alive and sent out troops to find you, so I sent a warning, but Chistery came back and told me that he couldn't find anyone!" Glinda explained. "You know the rest of it, of course."

Elphaba stared at her, forming a plan in her head. "We have to free the Animals once and for all, then," Elphaba said, simply.

"But we can't when Morrible and the new Captain of the Guard, Biduur are around!" Glinda said. She knew where this was going.

"Well, then we'll have to get rid of them," Elphaba said shortly.

"We have to… kill them?" Glinda whispered, suddenly looking like a small child that was afraid of the dark.

"I'd rather not," Elphaba said truthfully, "and I'll try to think of another way to do it, but we may."

"But why not kill them?" Glinda asked, her composure changing completely. "Madame Morrible deserves it! She's the one who named you a Wicked Witch in the first place! And Biduur is on her side!"

"Glinda," Elphaba said, tiredly, "It's easier to live a fugitive than to live knowing that someone died and their blood is on your hands," Glinda looked into her friend's eyes and saw that she looked… older. Elphaba was only twenty two, but she had been through much more than many people have in their whole lifetimes. She had been forced to mature mentally much earlier than anyone should, and sometimes it showed.

"But what about Nessa?" Glinda said softly. Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut in grief over her younger sister. "Don't you want to avenge her?"

Elphaba took a deep, calming breath. "I would, but I know my sister like I know my own mind. She wouldn't want me to kill anyone. That would be a better way to honor her death." Elphaba said, looking down. A moment before, she had looked older than her age, but know she looked… well… twenty two. She looked like any other twenty two year old pushed into this situation: scared and vulnerable. Glinda wished there was something else they could do besides this, but Elphaba was right all along. This was the right thing to do.

Suddenly, the scared look on Elphaba's face was replaced with physical pain. She gripped a dumpster with her emerald hands to keep her knees from giving in. Her teeth were gritted. Her breath came in shallow gasps.

"Elphie! What happened? Are you alright?" Glinda rushed to Elphaba's side and the green girl looked at her, worry plastered all over her face.

"Fiyero's in danger."

* * *

 **A/N #2: Okay, first thing's first, the line: "I know my sister like I know my own mind" is from Hamilton, so I hope if I put a disclaimer, then it won't count as plagiarism. I hope. I just had to put it there, though! It was too perfect!**

 **Disclaimer #2: I do not own any part of Hamilton the Musical whatsoever. I don't know why you would think that, though, because if I had ever written a musical, I wouldn't be able to get even** _ **1**_ **Tony nomination, let alone** _ **break the record**_ **.**

 **Okay, second, if you were wondering where I got Eslaasa from, I thought that since Elphaba's name is from the L Frank Baum's initials (LFB), I would base at least one name off of another person's initials. I took Stephen Schwartz's initials (SLS) to make Eslaasa. I got Biduur because I asked my mom for a name and I just doubled a vowel to make it sound Ozian. :P Also, I said that the name was "Ugabun" because if you look at a map of Oz (search up "map of oz wicked"), there is a small country in the corner named "Ugabu." It borders the Vinkus (Winkie Country), Gillikin, and this whole other place (like Oz, but different. Like a continent) called Filiaan. In that case, Elphaba and Fiyero went to live in Ev after they left Oz in this fic because they came back into Oz from the south, near Quadling Country. Ozian geography class dismissed! :P**

 **Yeah, I'm more interested in Ozian geography than any of my actuall subjects in school. :P**

 **Reviews make my heart smile! (I realize that I didn't say that last time. Whoops!) :D**


	9. Chistery

**A/N: Hi! Remember me? :P I realize that it's been awhile since the last update. I'll just tell this to you straight: I sort of forgot about the story due to brief case of writer's block. Sorry!**

 **Annoyed (Guest): I'm sorry that you're annoyed, but let me put it this way:**

 **1) Madame Morrible could have been lying about spells being irreversible.**

 **2) Elphaba sort of reversed the spell that Nessa set on Boq.**

 **3) You never really know what will happen when Elphaba's magic gets out of control.**

 **4) Elphaba never really finished the line of the spell: Eleka Namen Namen Atum Atum Eleka Namen. She stopped at the second "Eleka". Maybe if you don't complete the line, the spell gets weaker.**

 **Again, I'm sorry you got annoyed by that.**

 **Onto the story!**

 **Disclaimer: No, nope, nada.**

* * *

"Elphie! Elphaba, wait!" Glinda yelled, chasing after her friend in the dark, abandoned streets. They were almost to the boundaries of the city when she finally caught up to the green girl. Glinda grabbed her by the shoulder and spun Elphaba around to face her.

"Elphie, listen to me. How much danger is Fiyero in?" Elphaba hesitated, looking panicked.

"I… I'm not sure-"

"Think Elphie!" Glinda shook Elphaba by the shoulders. The witch shut her eyes tight and thought for a clock tick.

"He's being chased… by the Gale Force!" Elphaba exclaimed, opening her eyes. "We have to find him!" She tried to start running again, but Glinda held her back.

"No, Elphie! Fiyero can outrun the Gale Force, once he was _on_ the Gale Force! He'll be fine!" Glinda told Elphaba, sternly.

"But the last time the Gale Force got him they…" Elphaba trailed off, not wanting to remember what happened.

"But how will we get out of the city? The Guards will see you!" Glinda exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter! They know I'm alive already!" Elphaba yelled, getting more impatient by the minute.

"They'll just drag you back to the palace!"

"Well then… Where's my broom? I can fly over the boundary!" Elphaba said, getting more worried. What if they were too late already?

"They burned you broom when you came," Glinda said. "You just have to trust him."

"But I can't take that risk!" Elphaba yelled, "I can't bear to lose him again!" Glinda gave her distressed friend a quick, comforting hug. Then, after a second of thought, her face lit up.

"I have an idea! Wait right here!" Glinda called, already running back in the direction they had come from. Elphaba sighed, ducking into the bushes nearby and leaning against a tree, hoping with all her heart that they could get to Fiyero before it was too late.

A few minutes later, Glinda returned with a familiar furry face.

"Chistery!" Elphaba exclaimed as the winged monkey jumped up to hug her.

"Miss Elphaba!" He hugged his old friend tight.

"You can talk!" Elphaba put Chistery down to get a good look at him.

"Yes, Miss!" Chistery nodded excitedly. "Why you come?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "It dangerous!" Glinda gave a little giggle. With a little practice, Chistery had lost his stutter, though he wasn't the best at sentence structure yet.

"I had to," Elphaba replied, shortly, before turning to face Glinda. "So what's our plan?"

"We write a letter to Fiyero telling him that we are alright, then send Chistery to find Fiyero and give it to him. If anything happened to Fiyero, then we'll know," Glinda said, pulling out a roll of parchment and a pencil and handing it to her friend. Elphaba took them and placed it on the ground to write the letter.

 _Dear Yero,_

"Yero?" Glinda asked, amused. "Is that your nickname for him? Elphaba nodded, blushing.

 _We are safe in the city. Madame M. and assistant causing trouble. Are you safe?_

 _~Glin and Fae_

"Fae?" Glinda asked again. Elphaba blushed even more deeply. She looked down, trying to hide it.

"He said it means 'fairy' in Vinkun and 'love' in Quadling," Elphaba said, softly. Glinda could help but "aww" at that, to the annoyance of Elphaba.

At that moment, Glinda realized something. All this time, Glinda had thought that she and Fiyero were perfect together. Now she realized that there was a difference between 'perfect' and 'right'. She and Fiyero were perfect together because they looked and acted perfect together, like a fairytale couple. Fiyero and Elphaba, however, were _right_ together. They fit together like two puzzle pieces to make a beautiful picture. Glinda sighed. She would just have to accept that.

"Chistery, do you remember Fiyero Tiggular?" Elphaba asked, rolling up the letter and handing it to Chistery.

"Yes. Man who you scream in sleep!" Chistery nodded, eagerly. Elphaba cringed at that.

" _Elphaba, Elphaba!" She turned around to see Fiyero tied to a cross made of poles, a Gale Force guard holding him at gunpoint. A gunshot rang out, followed by a scream._

" _Fiyero!" Elphaba shot up in bed, covered in a cold sweat and with tears streaming down her face like waves. The gunshot still echoed in her ears._

Elphaba pushed the memory away. She'd rather not be reminded of those terrifying nights back in Kiamo Ko and the nightmares that haunted her.

She suddenly became aware of Chistery and Glinda looking at her, concerned.

"Right," she continued, "that man."

Chistery looked confused. "Dead?" Elphaba flinched at the word. She had grown to despise it after so many of her loved ones had died.

"No, Chistery. He's alive," she said, "but he's in danger and we need to find him. We need you to go and give this to him. He should be somewhere between Quadling and here. When you find him, give him this letter. Make sure no one sees you but him," Elphaba instructed. Chistery nodded, glad to be doing something important.

The monkey flapped his wings and flew high enough so that he brushed the treetops before looking down. Elphaba waved to the monkey as he saluted before flying off into the night. Elphaba sighed and sat leaning against the tree.

"Don't worry, Elphie, he'll be alright," Glinda comforted, sitting next to her green friend. Elphaba gave her a small smile before training her eyes to her shoes, wishing with all her heart that the letter would get to Fiyero.

* * *

Fiyero's feet pounded against the ground as he ran, dodging the thickening trees as he was chased further and further into the forest. He was a fast runner. As a child he was always running around the house and at the park. He could win any race and could outrun everyone he knew, even Elphaba.

Now, though, his efforts seemed useless. No matter how hard he ran, the guards behind him didn't seem to be getting any further. It was growing darker and harder to see, and Fiyero was starting to tire. He heard the guards gaining on him.

His breath coming in shallow gasps now, Fiyero forced himself to keep running. One foot in front of the other. Simple.

He heard the footfalls of the guards grow more prominent behind him, causing him to panic.

 _Just keep running._ He told himself. _They can't get to you if you keep going._

With the moon as his only source of light now, Fiyero struggled to see where he was going in the dark. From the irritated shouts behind him, he knew that it was causing the guards just as much trouble. The wind was whistling past his ears. Though it was relatively cool, a line of sweat traced his forehead. He had been running for hours, and was starting to feel slightly light-headed.

 _Come on Fiyero, just a bit further. Just run until you can lose them._ He told himself. He took a sharp left turn, hoping to confuse them, though they stayed hot on his trail, guided by the sound of his feet on the ground.

 _Just keep running. Do it for Fae. Just… keep… running._ Despite his efforts to keep going, he felt himself slowing down.

 _Come on, do it for Fae! Just keep going. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of-_

Suddenly, his foot caught on a branch and he stumbled. Exhausted, he was unable to catch himself before he tumbled face first to the ground. _Now I'm in for it._ He thought, lying helplessly on the ground.

He felt two hands roughly drag him back to his feet and held him by the arms so tightly that he was sure that they were constricting the blood flow. Weakly, Fiyero tried to pry the hands off, but he lacked the energy to do so.

"Surrender, Tiggular!" The man holding him whispered harshly into his ear. The man was so close to Fiyero that he could smell his breath, which smelled like stale bread and wine. _Think, Fiyero. Use your brain for once. What would Fae do in this situation?_

"Never!" Fiyero yelled, confidently, holding his head up high, trying not to let his fear show.

"Suit yourself," The guard whispered into his ear, making foul breath wash over him once more. Fiyero felt another man press his gun against Fiyero's chest. The prince's breath caught in his throat.

"Any last words, Tiggular?" The guard growled.

 _What would Fae do? What would Fae do?_ Fiyero frantically tried to think of something, though it came to no avail. Elphaba would have used her magic. She was a better fighter than him anyway. He didn't stand a chance.

 _You need to get back to her, Fiyero! She needs you!_ He couldn't, though. There was no way. _I just hope Elphaba will be okay._

"No?" The guard asked. Fiyero shook his head. The guard gave a merciless laugh.

"Alright then," the guard said, straightening up to speak to the man holding the gun. "Three… two-"

Without warning, something swung from the trees above and hit the man on the head, knocking him unconscious. The rest of the men stood there in stunned silence. Fiyero was taken aback. Were those… _monkey feet_?

Next thing they knew, another guard fell to the ground, unconscious. Then another. And then another! One by one, all the guards in the area either dropped like flies or ran away in fright. The man holding Fiyero captive was so shocked that Fiyero was able to rip free from his grasp. Frightened, the man stared at Fiyero, stuttering incomprehensible words under his breath before he too ran away in fright. At this point, Fiyero was the last one standing. He looked up at the canopy of trees above him apprehensively, not knowing what to expect.

"Hello?" he called, hesitantly. He heard a thump behind him. He spun around to see one of those small, winged monkeys that Elphaba had enchanted. The monkey pulled at his hand.

"Must go. Men wake," it said, shortly. Fiyero followed it through the forest, not fully knowing whether he could trust the monkey or not.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a small clearing. The monkey seemed to deem in an appropriate place, so it turned to face Fiyero.

"You Master Fiyero Tiggular?" it asked. Fiyero was startled. How did this _monkey_ know his name?

"Er, yes," he replied, uncertainly. "Why?"

"My name Chistery. Miss Elphaba sent me to you. She worries," the monkey, who Fiyero now knew as Chistery, said importantly.

"Elphaba sent you? Is she okay? Did she get to the city? Is Glinda with her? Oh Oz, did something happen? I have to find her!" Fiyero started rambling, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"No, no, Miss Elphaba fine!" Chistery said, trying to calm the Winkie prince down. "She worries. You no come," he explained. "I have letter from her to you." Fiyero took the roll of parchment from Chistery eagerly and scanned through the contents a few times before turning back to Chistery.

"So they're safe?" he confirmed.

"As far as I saw, yes," Chistery nodded.

"Good," Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief. Setting the paper on the grass, Fiyero digged through his pockets before finding a stray pen. He used it to scribble a quick note on the backside of the parchment as best he could in the light of the moon. Once finished, he rolled up the letter - the opposite way this time - and handed it back to the monkey.

"Give this back to Elphaba and Glinda," Fiyero said, tousling the hair on the monkey's head. Chistery gave Fiyero a salute and started to flap his wings.

"Oh, and Chistery?" Fiyero called quickly. Chistery looked back at him.

"Thank you for saving my life," he said sincerely. Chistery smiled.

"You are welcome," he said. Fiyero watched as the winged monkey flew into the night. He looked around, then decided he would wait until morning to start his journey again. He sat up against a tree and fell asleep almost immediately. It had been a long day.

* * *

 **A/N #2: I remember telling myself to put something in here… I forgot though…**

 **Anyway, whatever that was I'm sure I'll remember later and beat myself up for forgetting! :P**

 **Reviews make my heart smile! :)**


	10. Sweet Oz

**A/N: I am soooooooooo sorry about the wait, I just didn't know where to take this chapter! Also, school and a bunch of musical theatre things started so updates will be less frequent. Sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not that squirrel… :P**

* * *

"He should be back by now," Elphaba stressed, pacing back and forth. Glinda leaned against the tree, following her friend with her eyes like she was watching a tennis match.

"Relax, Elphie, you're going to wear a hole in the ground!" Glinda was right, Elphaba had already worn a trail under her feet from an hour or two of pacing. "You gave him a lot of ground to cover. Who knows? He may be flying back to us right now."

Elphaba looked doubtful. "You can't be sure. Something could have happened. It's been almost a whole night of running from the Gale Force. I know Fiyero, he can't run for _that_ long!" Elphaba was starting to panic again. Her step quickened a little.

"He could have climbed a tree?" Glinda said, uncertainly.

"He literally just turned back into a human, how is he supposed to climb a tree? Besides, he couldn't do that in the first place!" Now Elphaba was _really_ panicking.

"Elphaba!" Glinda grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Just calm down and try to think of something else!" Elphaba blinked.

"Like what?"

"Like..." Glinda thought for a moment, "why didn't you tell me?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were alive?" Elphaba grimaced. She knew this was coming.

"Well… I… We couldn't tell _anyone_. It would endanger us both!"

"So, you didn't trust me?" Glinda asked, looking hurt.

"It wasn't that! It was just-"

"Just what? You tricked me! You made me think that the two people who I cared the most for in the whole world were dead!" Glinda was advancing onto her best friend. Elphaba stumbled back.

"Glinda I-I-"

"You could have at least sent me a note back then! You could have whispered to me after you faked your death, or have done _something_ to tell me that I hadn't failed you!" Tears were streaming down the blonde's face.

"F-failed me?" Elphaba stuttered.

"After Fiyero was taken by the guards and you thought you were a wicked witch I thought that I had failed as a friend! I wasn't there for you and I didn't do _anything_ to help you at all! When I saw you melt I thought that I could have prevented it! I thought I let you down! I-I thought-"

Glinda collapsed into tears. Slightly alarmed and feeling guilty, Elphaba put her arms around her friend and tried to comfort her.

"Glinda, I'm _really_ sorry! You didn't fail me, you've been the best friend I could ask for! Even if you had tried to help after… that incident, I probably wouldn't have let you in anyway!" Glinda looked up.

"You… wouldn't have?" Elphaba shook her head.

"I should have told you. I really should have. There were just so many things that could have gone wrong-"

"But you were never scared of things going wrong before," Glinda cut her off.

"But I was then. If something went wrong, I would have to fight again. I was tired of fighting, tired of running. That was the only thing on my mind. I had to end it. I wanted to tell you. I really did. But I couldn't bring myself to. It would endanger not only me, but you and Fiyero as well." Glinda nodded, and the two friends embraced. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just hugging.

"Why'd you decide to send me a letter later, then?" Elphaba thought about this for a moment.

"Guilt is hard to live with," she whispered. Glinda nodded, knowingly. Then she smiled.

"You really love him, don't you?" Elphaba gave a shy nod, looking down to hide a flush creeping up her neck.

"How much?"

"You don't expect me to measure that, do you?" Glinda giggled.

"No, just asking." There was a silence.

"Elphie?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'll ever find true love?" Elphaba laughed softly at the pure-Glinda question.

"I don't see why not," she said, turning around to sit at the base of the tree.

"But how can I if I don't what it is?" Glinda walked over to sit on her green friend's left side.

"I guess the definition of different for everyone. It depends on who your "true love" is," she said, thoughtfully, putting air-quotes around "true love". "You only really know once you've found it."

"So what do _you_ think it is?"

"You're asking _me?_ " Elphaba snorted.

"Well, Fiyero's your true love, right?" Elphaba snorted again.

"What? He is, right?"

"Well, "true love" is a bit out there," she chuckled. Glinda sighed.

"But you love him?"

"Of course!"

"And he loves you?"

"Apparently."

"Then describe why you love him!"

Elphaba thought about this, obviously not feeling too comfortable with the question. "Well, I guess it's because he's… there. He's always there for me when I need him. He understands me better than almost anyone, and he's one of the only people I can really let my guard down for." The more she talked, the more far-away she seemed to be. She was not really looking at Glinda anymore, but into her memories of the past. "He makes me feel good about myself and actually makes me feel beautiful for a moment. He loves me unconditionally, and I guess that's not something that I got to experience very often in childhood." There was a small grin creeping onto her face. "He can sometimes be such a brainless idiot, but for the life of me, I can't stop loving him. I can't be mad at him for more than a day." She chuckled. "I guess that's what true love is. For me, anyway." Elphaba stared off into the distance. Glinda looked at her friend, amused.

"You two are really in love, aren't you?" Elphaba rolled her eyes and looked away, though she felt her cheeks warm up. _Darn that blush,_ she thought to herself.

The sat there in comfortable silence for a while, forgetting about all the problems they were facing for a little bit. After about half an hour had passed, though, Elphaba seemed to be getting more and more fidgety, and Glinda could tell why.

"I'm sure he's fine, Elphie," Glinda said, putting a hand on Elphaba's arm before she started pacing again. Elphaba gave a small nod, though she obviously wasn't convinced. Glinda kept her hand on her friend's arm, watching Elphaba's face grow more impatient. The green girl bit her lip, looking down at the ground, then past the trees and over the fence that bordered the Emerald City, then back at the ground. She looked bothered.

"What are you thinking about?" Glinda asked, finally.

"Nothing," Elphaba said shortly.

"Elphie, tell me what's bothering you," Glinda said sternly. It was no longer a question. It was a demand.

"It doesn't matter," she said, looking down.

"Elphaba, I don't care what your father has told you in the past, or what anyone else has ever said, but your feelings do matter!" Glinda stressed, standing up. Elphaba looked up at her, startled, not just at the sudden change of attitude, but at the accuracy.

"I know you like to keep things to yourself, but there are somethings that you don't tell other people, even though we want to hear it and you need to let it out. Sometimes you have to let your guard down, Elphie. Please." Elphaba stared at her friend. Glinda sat back down, looking at her friend, expectantly. Elphaba was looking down at her shoes again.

"I just… I just don't want to do this anymore," she said quietly.

"Then why are you?"

"Now that I'm back, I can't just leave the Animals in this situation, can I?"

"Yes, you can. Everyone has their limit."

"Glinda, You don't-"

"Elphaba Thropp, don't you dare tell me that I don't understand, because I do," Glinda said, raising her voice, slightly. "You've done so much for them," she continued, softer this time, "You've done enough."

"But there's still so much I can do! Don't you see, I can't leave them hanging like this!"

"But-" Glinda started, then swallowed the retort. She saw the burning fire in Elphaba's eyes. It was the determination to do good that always shone through in the end. When Elphaba was going to do something, she was going to do it. Glinda wasn't doing anything but delaying them when she argued with her.

She sighed, "You're really sure about this?"

The green girl's dark eyes shone even more fiercely. "Absolutely."

* * *

Fiyero hunched over in the bushes, trying his hardest to hide himself completely from view. The Gale Force guards were searching the area around him. The prickly branches scratched him all over, but he hardly dared breathe. The nearest guard was so close the Fiyero could have touched him.

"'Ey! I don't think he's here!" A guard called from a few trees away. If he remembered correctly, Fiyero was pretty sure that was the guard that held a gun to his chest just a few hours ago.

"Search the trees and all the vegetation! Leave no stone unturned! He's here! I can practically smell him!" Another guard yelled, taking a big whiff through his nose to stress the point. Fiyero scrunched up his nose. _Okay, now that's just creepy,_ he thought.

Suddenly, the meaning of the words sunk in. _Search the vegetation. That means…_ His suspicions were proved correct when the guard a few feet away from him started searching through the bushes he was hiding in. Panicking, he frantically tried to back out of the bush as soundly as he could, but it was too late.

The guard was looking straight down at him.

"Well, well, well…" He said quietly. Fiyero would have preferred if he yelled it. _Sweet Oz._

"Uh…" He laughed nervously, "h-hi…"

"Seize him!"

* * *

"That's it, I'm going after him," Elphaba said finally.

"No, you aren't!" Glinda tried to grab her hand.

"Yes, I am and that's final!" She yelled, grabbing hold of one of the bars on the fence separating the city from the outside.

Suddenly, sparks flew out of the fence and Elphaba leaped away with a yelp.

"Elphie! Are you okay?" Glinda ran to her friend. Elphaba nodded, examining the damage. The skin had been burned raw and stung like crazy, but no skin had separated from the flesh. She gingerly put her other hand up to touch it, then winced.

"I've… been through worse," Elphaba concluded.

Glinda looked up at the fence. It had been almost a whole day since they had last seen Chistery. "So, how do we get over the fence?"

Elphaba thought for a moment. "I don't know. Frankly, I don't remember their _being_ a fence here in the first place!"

"Oh yeah! Madame Morrible put it up. She said that it has an enchantment that burns anyone who touches it and sets off an alarm-" Glinda gasped. Elphaba's eyes got wide. They could already hear the guards yelling in the distance.

"-that calls the guards…" she finished slowly. Elphaba looked at her. She looked back.

"Sweet Oz…" Elphaba breathed.

* * *

 **A/N #2: Fellow Ozians! I present to you, the DOUBLE CLIFFIE! *cackle***

 **I like to get feedback from you guys! Writing tips, favorite lines, likes and dislikes, plain random stuff, things like that!**

 **Reviews make my heart smile! ;D**


	11. Seized

**A/N: Special update today, because It's My Birthday!**

 **Disclaimer: Look at another chapter, seriously.**

* * *

"Should we kill him, Madame?" One guard asked, gruffly, throwing Fiyero face first onto the floor at Madame Morrible's feet. He groaned and tried to push himself up, only to have the guard shove him back down with a foot to his lower back. He could feel the rest of the guards watching him with amusement.

"No, he is still useful to us," Morrible said, slowly.

"Useful? How? He's a traitor! He should be-"

"Patience, Biduur, he will be dead in a matter of days." Fiyero swallowed hard. "But for now we need him alive and here."

"Why?" Biduur asked.

"Bait," Madame Morrible said with a cackle that made the hair on the back of Fiyero's neck stand up.

"Bait?" Fiyero asked. "For what?" The whole group burst into laughter.

"So he is a brainless as people say!" One of them said, doubling over. Fiyero thought hard. Who would they want that he had to do with?

Then it clicked. Oz, he was so stupid sometimes. "You're not touching her!" He screamed, struggling under the guard's foot, but it was of no use. Fiyero breathed hard, trying to think of something.

The guards grabbed him by the arms, dragging him to his feet. "Should we take him to the dungeons?" One asked, the same one that Morrible had called "Biduur."

"The torture room would be more appropriate," Morrible said slowly. A memory stirred in the back of Fiyero's mind.

" _Wait, do you hear that?"_

" _What?"_

" _It sounds like… someone in pain."_

Without a second thought, Fiyero leaped forward in a desperate attempt at releasing himself. An arm caught him in the stomach, forcing him backwards. The wind was knocked out of him.

"What, princy-boy, scared of getting hurt, now are we?" Biduur sneered, covering his mouth so he couldn't speak.

Not even two seconds later, he leaped back, forgetting all about the job at hand.

"He bit me! He actually bit me!" He exclaimed, waving his hand around frantically. Fiyero had already dashed out the door of the great hall and down the hallway.

He rounded the corner and up a long flight of stairs, feeling like the running and hiding from guards had become strangely déjà vu in the past few days.

Up and up and up a million spiral stairs he went, passing a few landings leading to hallways on floors that he had never been in. _Did the people who built this palace have any sense?_ He wondered as he passed a window and saw that he was level with the treetops.

"There he is!" the guard he had bitten yelled, leading the mass of Gale Force men up the stairs. Acting on instinct, Fiyero swore softly and raced up to the next landing, dashing into the hallway.

With the guards on his tail, Fiyero sprinted down the long corridor lined with multiple conference rooms and offices, not daring to look behind him to see if he had lost them. He could hear the sounds of their footfalls getting more and more distant as he reached the end of the hallway.

He took a right where the path forked and ran into the closest room, praying to the Unnamed God that there wasn't anyone waiting there to shoot him down. He slammed the door and collapsed on the ground, extremely relieved to see that the room was empty. He could hear the guards' footfalls fading away.

"Thank Oz, that must have been the luckiest thing that's happened to me in a week," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair and looking around. It wasn't really a room, more of an extension of the hall on the other side of the door. It was a gallery of some sort, with portraits of past rulers hung on the walls.

Led purely by curiosity - history was his favorite subject in school, even if he still failed the class - and the knowledge that the farther he was from the entrance, the better, he briskly walked down the hallway, examining the paintings as he did so.

After passing one image, he did a double take. _Ayann Phillips._ A Tiger.

Surprised, Fiyero racked his brain for a history lesson in which Doctor Dillamond had mentioned an Animal ruler of Oz. Of course, Fiyero couldn't think of anything, but they had gone through all the leaders of Oz and he knew that if they had covered it he would have probably heard an hour long lecture on the subject from Elphaba.

"I have to ask Fae about that later," Fiyero mumbled, before continuing on. He had barely taken a step before he felt a pull on his arms and went tumbling back into the mob behind him. In a blur, he was pushed into the wall in front of him. There was a burst of pain in his forehead that caused him to let out a scream.

He wasn't able to recall much after that. He vaguely sensed himself being dragged down the spiral stairs… pushed into a room… a jolt of pain down his leg… nothing after that.

* * *

"Well, well, well, three fugitives in one day! How delightful!" Madame Morrible jeered, circling the two woman. "It feels like my birthday!" Glinda just stood, gently tugging at the handcuffs that held her by the wrists, looking utterly defeated. Elphaba, in comparison, was pulling and tugging at the chains with such violence that she resembled a lion put on a leach. She was noticeably paler than before. The venomous glare she sent the fish woman could have cooked her insides, but Morrible didn't seem even a little disturbed by it. The men holding the other end of their chains however, were eying the green witch warily. Bright green electric sparks were buzzing around her fingertips, which obviously itched to fire a spell and Morrible.

"So I see that we didn't need the bait after all," She said, stopping in front of Elphaba and eying her from head to toe. _Bait._ Elphaba's mind buzzed with possibilities. Her body, however, responded by an attempt to kick Morrible in the stomach. Morrible jumped out of reach with ease, and the guards behind her yanked at the chains in warning. The older woman waved a finger at her.

"Uh-uh-uh, don't get feisty now, dearie, or things with have to get messy," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Elphaba just scowled, wisely keeping her mouth shut. Her head pounded, she could barely think straight.

"Take them to the dungeons, max security," Morrible said, striding away. Confused, the guards hesitated.

"But, Madame, shouldn't we interrogate them first?" The guard holding Glinda's chains asked.

"We will, of course. I just have something… special planned for her and I need a little more time to set it up. It should be ready by tomorrow morning." Elphaba's eyes widened briefly, then she resumed her dominant composure, determined not to show and weakness. Glinda however, looked as terrified as she felt. Elphaba managed to shoot her a mildly comforting look as the two Gale Force members pushed them along.

"Come on, move it," the one holding Elphaba said gruffly, kicking her in the back.

"What, are they paying you for how fast I move?" Elphaba shot back, rewarded with another boot in her backside, harder this time.

Once they reached the floor right below the ground, they were shoved into their cells, Glinda noticeably less roughly than Elphaba, who was nothing less than thrown in. After both cell doors were locked, they looked over the ladies.

"We've got our eyes on you two," Elphaba's captor growled, "If you try anything…" He left it at that, walking away with the other guard on his heels.

Once they were out of sight, Elphaba flopped down at the bottom of the cell, staring up at the ceiling with a blank look. There was a moment of silence except for a faint dripping of water in the distance, amplified by the stone walls.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked, tentatively. Her voice echoed off the walls. _Elphie… Elphie… Elphie…_

"Yeah?"

"Now what?" Elphaba turned her head to face Glinda. She looked like a lost puppy with nowhere to go and no one to depend on. Elphaba looked down at the handcuffs that still gripped her wrists, restraining any forms of magic. She felt drained. Her head throbbed harder than ever.

"I don't know," she confessed.

* * *

 **A/N #2: The girls and Fiyero will meet up soon, don't worry!**

 **Reviews make my heart smile** _ **and**_ **make good birthday presents! :P**


	12. South-Stairs

**A/N: Happy New Year! Please bear with these update times, I know my updates are about as often as the blue moon, but I'll try to do better this next year! In the meantime, a sort-of longer chapter! :)**

* * *

Fiyero woke up slowly, eyes hesitantly adjusting to the concept of light, brain gradually assembling a picture in his mind. Once he was finally able to open his eyes, or rather, _eye_ , because one was too swollen to let any light in, he looked around.

 _Oz, how bad did they torture me?_ Fiyero thought, groggily, though he didn't want to know. Where was he anyway? Where was Elphaba?

He gasped quietly, immediately regretting it as pain shot through his ribs. Where was Fae? What did they do to her? Was she okay? Did she get his letter? What-

 _Oh, shut up, idiot, what does it matter where she is if you don't know where you are?_ He looked around, moving his head as much as he could as his neck didn't seem to be so damaged. So they threw him in the dungeons.

 _At least I'm not dead, like last time_ he thought, grimly. Why hadn't they killed him?

" _But for now we need him alive and here."_

" _Why?"_

" _Bait."_ The last word of the memory echoed through his head. Bait. _Elphaba_.

"Elphaba!" He yelled, instinctively, shooting up, then groaning with pain, dropping down again, and holding himself as still as possible until it passed.

"Who's there?" He heard someone's voice. It was very familiar.

"Huh?" he grunted, surprised. Then there were two voices.

"Fiyero?"

* * *

Elphaba raced up to the bars of her cell. "Fiyero? Where are you?"

"Um… in the dungeons?" she heard his voice from somewhere to her left.

"I figured out that much, idiot, I mean, where are you in relation to where I am!"

"Um… am I supposed to know the answer to that without knowing where you are?"

Elphaba slapped her forehead with her unhurt hand. "Okay, can you see me?" She stuck her hand through the bars of the cell and waved. She heard some shuffling around.

"Wait, should I Iook left or right?" Elphaba groaned.

"Right!"

"Got it!" he said, then a few moments later, "Which way is right?"

"Sweet Oz," Elphaba mumbled, before turning to Glinda. "Can you see him?" Glinda looked.

"Fiyero, stick your hand out!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay…" There was silence for a few moments. Glinda looked back at Elphaba and shook her head.

"Fiyero, how long have you been in here?" Elphaba called out. There was another pause.

"Um, a few days? I don't really know. There aren't really any windows here." he said, then after another, shorter pause, "How long have you been in here?"

"Not even a day," Galinda answered for Elphaba. There was a long period where they just sat there. None of them knew what to do now. They were out of ideas, and basically all herded to the one place where they couldn't do anything. They were helpless, and completely in the hands of Madame Morrible.

"Did they do anything to you, Yero?" Elphaba asked, finally.

"Just chased after me a bit. Nothing serious. I got away," Fiyero said almost immediately.

"Then how did you get here in the first place?"

"Well, I mean, they got me at _some_ point," he stuttered. Elphaba sighed.

"Tell me the truth."

"What do you mean? I am telling the truth!"

"No you aren't. You cannot keep it away forever."

"Fae-"

"Fiyero!" Elphaba scolded, sternly.

"Okay, they hit me a little. I passed out. Still nothing too serious. Don't worry," he finally said. Elphaba closed her eyes for a second, let out a breath, and then reopened them.

"How bad is it?"

"Not too bad. A couple bruises." she heard. She still didn't fully believe him, but she decided to let it slide. She backed away from the bars and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and pulling her legs up to her chest. She had no more say in his response.

"Fae?"

"Hmm?"

"Please don't worry about me," he said, more gently.

"How can you expect me not to? I can't help it after what happened to you!" she responded, more sharply than she had wanted.

"Just, please try and… I don't know…" Fiyero's sentence tapered off there and the dismissal dungeon was left in quietude for what seemed like an hour, though no one could be sure. Elphaba tried to keep her concerns at bay, eventually resigning to staring at the rusted metal words nailed to the end of the hallway to her right:

 **South-Stairs: Severe Protection Unit Floor C**

Ever since she sent that letter to Glinda, - what was it, three weeks ago? - there was that gnawing feeling of guilt at the back of her consciousness. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had caused all of them this pain because she just _had_ to pay attention to that stupid, childish desire to live the happy ending that had longed for as a little girl.

Stupid, childish desires. That's all that happy endings were. Her father had told her that when she was little. She never fully believed him. Oz would have been much better off if she had just listened. Now she had them all in jail. Glinda could have been in such a good place if she still believed that Elphaba was dead. Or if she actually was dead. Or if she never had existed.

 _No good deed goes unpunished._

Elphaba mentally shook herself. She was becoming the bitter Wicked Witch again. All the thoughts from that dreaded night were flowing back in again. She _could_ make good. She just wasn't trying the right way. She couldn't do it on her own. Glinda and Fiyero would help.

And then suffer more because of her.

"Elphie?"

"Yeah?" Elphaba tore her eyes away from the " _S"_ in " _Stairs"_ to look at the blonde.

"Am I going insane, or is someone looking at us?"

* * *

 _I never knew how big my wings were until now,_ Salean thought, crashing through the small, metal pipes as fast as he could manage. Wincing and cursing more than a few times, he did his best to navigate which pipes would lead him to the back of the palace, where he hoped that he could find the gauges to turn off the different systems in the castle. There must be one way out from there.

He knew that the plan was very unstable (looking over the whole thing made him feel very stupid), and relying on many things that should not be relied on, such as his sense of direction and knowledge of human living structures, but he had no other choice. Rather, he had much better choices, but he was too short on time to think of them.

Reaching an intersection, Salean staggered to a stop, wracking his brain on which way he had started, what ways he had turned, and which way he needed to go now. He heard the sound of breaking metal behind him. A long crack in the pipe extended from somewhere behind him to beneath his feet. In horror, he watched as a long sword crashed through the pipe two meters behind him, then again, closer.

 _You would think that they would be a little more subtle,_ he thought, clumsily fleeing down the pathway to his left in a quick, random decision. He could have been going the complete opposite direction that he wanted to be going, but it didn't really matter as long as he wasn't skewered on that blade anytime soon. Or ever.

Muffled shouts of, "He went that way!" and "To the left!" followed him down the ever narrowing pipe until he was surprised that he still fit in the pipe at all. However, the sound of the guards seemed to be fading. He couldn't hear anything. In the whopping third major mistake that day, he stopped, listening hard.

And then the floor caved beneath him. Startled out of his mind, he jumped up and yelped, narrowly managing to grab onto the remaining metal in front of him and scramble back into the pipe, somehow able to roll out of the way of the long sword extruding from the floor, missing it by a fraction of an inch and severely crumpling his right wing in the process.

And he was rolling down… down… down the pipe, going who-knows-where at an increasing speed until he finally seemed to have reached the bottom, colliding with a hard grate at the end. He shook himself lightly, regaining his bearings as he heard distant shouts of, "We lost him!" and "He went down there!".

Then, before he had even realized where he was, a surprisingly close voice almost whispered, "Am I insane, or is someone looking at us?"

* * *

 **A/N #2: To be quite frank, this year wasn't the best, but let's be happy and make the next year awesome! I'm terrible at these sentimental let's-look-over-this-year-and-everything-that-made-it-great sorts of things, but thanks to the people on this site for welcoming me and my stories. Your support is very much appreciated.**

 **Reviews bring in the new year well! :P**


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